Compliance (**) Pointless yet supposedly fact-based story about a man who prank-calls a fast-food restaurant and convinces the manager that one of her employees has stolen money from a customer. He then persuades the woman to humiliate the young female employee, detaining her, making her strip and searching her, all under the guise of police directions. Dumb. Rated R, 90 minutes. At the Angelika Dallas. — Boo Allen

Hello I Must Be Going (***1/2) Sensitive yet humorous work from director Todd Louiso about a deeply depressed 35-year-old woman (Melanie Lynskey) who moves in with her parents (Blythe Danner and John Rubinstein) when her husband leaves her. Once there, she begins an affair with a 19-year-old (Christopher Abbott), the son of one of her father’s business associates. The tricky situation seems to benefit both parties. Rated R, 95 minutes. At the Angelika Dallas and Plano. — B.A.

Dredd 3D In a dystopian East Coast megalopolis, a futuristic cop and his rookie trainee take on a ruthless drug lord and her clan. With Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Lena Headey and Wood Harris. Written by Alex Garland. Directed by Pete Travis. In 3-D. Rated R, 98 minutes. — Los Angeles Times

End of Watch (****) Mismatched buddy cop movie in which the cops record their daily activities while on patrol, from mercilessly teasing each other in the squad car between calls to tracking bad guys through the dangerous streets and narrow alleyways of South Central Los Angeles. Co-stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena have such tremendous chemistry with each other, they make you want to ride alongside them all day, despite the many perils in store. With Cody Horn, America Ferrera and David Harbour. Rated R, 108 minutes. — The Associated Press

House at the End of the Street A recent divorcee and her daughter move into a dream house in an upscale town, only to find that their new home hides dark secrets. With Jennifer Lawrence, Elisabeth Shue, Max Thieriot and Gil Bellows. Written by David Loucka. Directed by Mark Tonderai. Rated PG-13, 101 minutes. — LAT

Trouble With the Curve Corny, conventional and quite enjoyable father-daughter reconciliation story set mostly in the minor league baseball world of the South. Clint Eastwood plays an old-fashioned scout who disdains computers and fancy statistical charts in favor of his own time-tested instincts. Making his directorial debut, Eastwood’s longtime producer Rob Lorenz knows just how to pitch the story to take advantage of the humorous side of his star’s obstinate crankiness, and Amy Adams makes a good match as the career-driven daughter with festering resentments. Rated PG-13, 110 minutes. — The Hollywood Reporter

NOW PLAYING

The Campaign When a long-running congressman commits a public gaffe ahead of an election, two wealthy CEOs arrange for a puppet candidate to challenge him. With Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis, Jason Sudeikis and Katherine LaNasa. Directed by Jay Roach. Rated R, 85 minutes. — LAT

The Dark Knight Rises (**1/2 ) Director Christopher Nolan directs the last of his three Batman films with Christian Bale again playing the dark knight. A villain (Tom Hardy) steals a nuclear weapon and threatens to blow up Gotham, while several other plot points play out in this overwritten opus. Anne Hathaway, as an undesignated Catwoman, and Marion Cottillard appear as eye-candy femme fatales. A mediocre movie, not bad — just not as good as earlier versions. Rated PG-13, 164 minutes. — B.A.

Finding Nemo 3D A 3-D version of the animated tale about an overprotective clownfish on a journey to rescue his young son. With the voices of Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould and Willem Dafoe. Rated G, 107 minutes. — LAT

Hope Springs (****) The first produced script from television writer and producer Vanessa Taylor (Alias, Game of Thrones) explores the complicated dynamics that develop over a long-term relationship with great honesty and little judgment. Kay (Meryl Streep) and Arnold (Tommy Lee Jones) live a sexless life in a comfortable Nebraska suburb. When Kay finally decides she’s sick of their complacent routine, she insists Arnold join her for a week of intensive couples therapy with a renowned psychologist (Steve Carell). Rated PG-13, 99 minutes. — AP

Last Ounce of Courage Azle resident Marshall Teague plays war veteran Bob Revere, whose son is killed in combat. While raising his grandson, he is inspired to action when he feels that religious freedom and civil liberties are being violated. Rated PG, 101 minutes. — The Dallas Morning News

Lawless (***) If you can accept the notion that Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf and Jason Clarke could be brothers, you might be able to immerse yourself in the artfully pulpy allure of Lawless. Director John Hillcoat’s ultra-violent drama plays like a hot, sweaty, delusional fever dream and is similarly fitful. Based on The Wettest County in the World, Matt Bondurant’s fictional tale of his grandfather and his brothers, moonshine masters who kept the Virginia hills good ’n’ liquored up during Prohibition. They find their tidy little operation threatened when a corrupt Chicago lawman (Guy Pearce) swoops in to shut them down. Rated — AP

The Odd Life of Timothy Green (**1/2) Adapting a short story by Ahmet Zappa (son of Frank), writer-director Peter Hedges (Pieces of April) tries for old-fashioned wholesomeness only to flounder amid a well-intended but sappy tale of a childless couple mystically granted a test run at parenthood. Hedges assembled an impressive cast, led by Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton as parents to a mystery boy (CJ Adams) who comes into their lives, and the actors buy into the story’s conceits wholeheartedly. But a movie’s in trouble when the characters are just as unbelievable as the premise. Rated PG, 104 minutes. — AP

ParaNorman (**1/2) No one wants to tell 60 puppet makers that their months of toil were ill spent. But the frequently wondrous and whimsical visuals far surpass the disappointingly slipshod story of an 11-year-old boy named Norman (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee) who can see and speak to the dead. His uncle (John Goodman) bequeaths to him the duty of pacifying a witch that has haunted their town for 300 years. After failing in the ritual, Norman and an improvised gang flee from zombies, and the running around town takes up much of the film. Rated PG, 92 minutes. — AP

The Possession The divorced parents of a 10-year-old girl are troubled by her increasingly erratic behavior, which seems to be linked to an antique wooden box she purchased at a yard sale. With Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Kyra Sedgwick. Directed by Ole Bornedal. Rated PG-13, 91 minutes. — LAT

Premium Rush (***1/2) Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as a Manhattan bike messenger given the job of delivering an envelope through the city’s crowded streets during rush hour, all while being chased by a rogue cop (Michael Shannon) and several other parties. Director and co-writer David Koepp delivers a non-stop thriller, long on action and visuals but also with an involving plot. Rated PG-13, 91 minutes. — B.A.

Resident Evil: Retribution In a world devastated by a zombie virus, one woman scours the globe to save humanity and stop an evil corporation. With Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Sienna Guillory and Kevin Durand. Rated R, 93 minutes. — LAT

2016: Obama’s America This documentary, directed by conservative author Dinesh D’Souza, looks at influences in President Barack Obama’s past and what the United States might be like in four years if he is re-elected. Rated PG, 89 minutes. — TDMN

The Words (**1/2) For a movie about writing, about the transporting nature of a compelling narrative, this is needlessly complicated. The Words begins with celebrated writer Clay Hammond (Dennis Quaid) reading excerpts from his latest best-selling novel about Rory Jansen (Bradley Cooper), who also happens to be a celebrated writer. Rory is receiving a prestigious award for his debut novel, the one that made him an instant literary sensation. Trouble is, he didn’t actually write it. With Jeremy Irons. Rated PG-13, 97 minutes. — AP

Comments

DentonRC.com is now using Facebook Comments. To post a comment, log into Facebook and then add your comment below. Your comment is subject to Facebook's Privacy Policy and Terms of Service on data use. If you don't want your comment to appear on Facebook, uncheck the 'Post to Facebook' box. To find out more, read the FAQ .